BROKERING PEACE AND INVESTING IN THE FUTURE: THE HOUSE OF UMOJA’S “GIFT OF GIVING” FOR 54 YEARS TO BE FETED IN A “COMMUNITY CONVERSATION” AT THE AFRICAN AMERICAN MUSEUM OF PHILADELPHIA ON WEDNESDAY 30 NOVEMBER 2022

“To give is to invest in the future.” -Chewa Proverb
 
            PHILADELPHIA, PA (USA) - 29 November 2022 -  For fifty-four (54) years, the House Of Umoja, Inc. (www.houseofumoja.net), an internationally acclaimed institution headquartered in Philadelphia, has brokered peace in the nation’s sixth largest metropolitan and invested in the future by creating lifelines for at least approximately 3,000 adolescent males and positively transforming the trajectory of their lives.  In effort to develop an effective blueprint to turn around Philadelphia’s out of control gun violence, on Wednesday 30 November 2022 from 6:30 P.M. (E.D.T.) through 8:30 P.M (https://tockify. com/houevents/detail/10/1669851000000) The House of Umoja, Inc.’s “gift of giving” -- brokering peace and investing in the future -- which spans fifty-four (54) years will be collaboratively feted through the community conversation hosted by WHYY (https://www.WHYY.org/events), BROKERING PEACE: The House of Umoja & A Safer Philadelphia, the African American Museum of Philadelphia’s (https://www. aampmuseum.org) newest exhibit, Love & Spirit: African American Art from the Bank of America Collection; and Love Now Media’s (https://lovenowmedia.com/)  preview of the documentary entitled, “Falaka Fattah And The House Of Umoja” produced by Mr. Jos Duncan Asè. The event will be held at the African American Museum of Philadelphia at 701 Arch Street in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Tickets and further information concerning this historic event can be obtained at https://bit.ly/GetTix4Broking Peace; https://tockify.com/houevents/detail/10/1669851000000.

         Featured panelists representing the over 3,000 young men who have come through the House of Umoja will be The Honorable Councilmember Curtis Jones, Jr., 15 year old Hameen Jackson, Anthony "Hakim" Starkey, and Jamal Johnson. Queen Mother Falaka Fattah, President & CEO of the House of Umoja will join the conversation via Zoom.

            The event will be punctuated by the announcement of the Best Article prize respectively to two (2) young women  -- Mesdames Brielle Bartley and  Jaelyn Mack, each of whom participated in the House of Umoja, Inc.’s inaugural UMOJA Youth Peace Corps and penned instructive and profound essays that were published in UMOJA Magazine’s “Her Story” Youth Edition. Fourteen-year-old Ms. Jaelyn Mack through her essay, “How To Step Forward for the Next Generation” moves readers to look at the world through the lens of accessibility, inclusiveness, possibilities while Ms. Brielle Bartley serves up heart wrenching story and a powerful recipe for creating a nurturing and more tranquil world in, “A Safer World For Kids.” Copies of the magazine may be ordered at https://www.houseofumoja.net/umojamagazine.html. 

     Through the UMOJA Youth Peace Corps and the Fattah Peace Academy (www.houseofumoja.net), the House of Umoja, Inc. continues to  broker peace and invest in the future by moving a new generation of youths to embrace peace through a commitment to nonviolence and providing them with many of the tools they will need to mature into productive and successful adults.  The House of Umoja, Inc. (www.houseofumoja.net) launched the UMOJA Youth Peace Corps, a component of the Fattah Peace Academy and the UMOJA INTENTIONAL COMMUNITY on Tuesday, 5 April 2022.  The UMOJA Youth Peace Corps is an influencer leadership initiative centered around peace, the family of community, culture, and healing.  An after school program, the UMOJA Youth Peace Corps nurtures youths, ages 14 through 18, by providing them with a well-rounded array of training ranging from communications, mental and physical wellness, Blockchain Basics entrepreneurship, dog training, and art therapy.  Each day begins with a meal and Adella with Queen Mother Falaka Fattah. Adella is a Swahili word that means “just” or “fair” and is formed around the value of the extended family, creating a safe space, and a tool for conflict resolution. Adella became the order within a home of fifteen (15) boys when Queen Mother in 1969 invited the gang members of her son's gang to live in her home. Adella is a proven model that has worked in West African societies from ancient times and throughout the House of Umoja, Inc.’s existence as a residential home, safe haven, and peacemaker in the streets.
         “Imagine an urban inner-city campus where youth ranging in ages from twelve to twenty-five become the moral equivalent to antibodies.  Imagine youths who are trained as Peace Ambassadors to help end violence in their communities while realizing their own potential within an environment that is culturally rich and educationally relevant. Imagine these youths having this experience on a campus that is a replica of one of the most beautiful cities in the world, the ancient African city of Djennè. Imagine a place where students may also learn Aquaponics, Aviation, Web 3 Technologies, and Coding. Securing the future of the community requires an educated, motivated, and non-violent workforce. To do so the work must begin with our youth while providing opportunities for community participation. As a continuation of our ‘gift of giving’ -- brokering peace and investing in the future -- the House of Umoja is committed to making the Fattah Peace Academy a reality within the next two years -- 2023 through 2025. This integrated development effort will provide young people with educational services to prepare them for the future. Importantly, it will provide training that will provide attendees with the skills to create businesses and builds on Umoja’s service strengths.  The components of our service strengths include programming that trains students to grow vegetables and fish using hydroponic technology. Students will learn to code so that they can develop apps and other technological programs for use in today’s and tomorrow’s information technology driven world. In addition, students will be provided with cultural enrichment, entrepreneurial skills, and preparation for employment services -- all of which will help to provide the community with resources for the prevention of violence.   This is a long-term project that seeks to fully develop the 1400 block of Frazier Street. The House of Umoja currently owns 18 properties on the block, with facade stylized to represent the ancient city of Djennè.  We envision a completely redeveloped campus that will include classrooms and meeting spaces to facilitate the implementation of educational and employment activities. The campus will offer rooftop farming, a green house, a pond, and farming lots.   As a result, the health of the community will be positively impacted due to an increase in the availability of fresh vegetables.  A critical component in the academy’s educational and entrepreneurial efforts is the aquaponics program which will simultaneously provide training and an ongoing stream of income,” explained Queen Mother Falaka Fattah, the President and Chief Executive Officer of the House Of Umoja, Inc.

          Established in 1968, the House of Umoja, Inc. is an  internationally acclaimed institution that has, for five decades, designed and implemented timeless Global Models for eradicating violence, fostering community development, creating economic sustainability, and addressing many of the key challenges that prevent boys and adolescent males from reaching their full potential and maturing into productive and successful adults.  Its successful track record of positively transforming the lives of approximately 3,000 male adolescents and  reducing gang violence, moved universities and institutions to seek the House of Umoja, Inc.’s expertise.   The Office of Juvenile Justice and Prevention and the Center for Disease Control were among the institutions that sought the House of Umoja, Inc.’s expertise on gang violence reduction, youth programming, and community organizing.   Former United States Presidents The Honorable James Earl Carter, Jr. and the late Honorable Ronald Wilson Reagan recognized the House of Umoja, Inc. for its pioneering work that has been documented in published articles such as “A Summons To Life,” by Robert Woodson of the American Enterprise Institute (www.aei.org)  in 1981 and “The Violent Juvenile Offender,” by Paul DeMuro and Richard Allison of the National Council On Crime and Delinquency (www.nccdglobal.org), in 1984.

          For further information about the UMOJA Intentional Community, the UMOJA Youth Peace Corps, the Fattah Peace Academy, and the House of Umoja, Inc., visit the organization’s website at www.houseofumoja.net or call (215) 473-5893 or send an e-mail to:  [email protected]. To donate